Abduction, rape reported near VCU campus

RICHMOND, Va. (WTVR) – Virginia Commonwealth University alerted students after a woman reported she was abducted and raped near the university’s main campus. Richmond Police spokeswoman Dionne Waugh told CBS 6 reporter Jerrita Patterson officers were investigating the incident not as a “rape” but as a “suspicious situation.”

“There are some places you know to be a little more alert, but it seems like these days you just never know,” said VCU graduate student Meredith.

According to the VCU alert, the woman said she was smoking a cigarette outside the Rite Aid at North Belvidere and West Broad Streets around 2:45 Tuesday morning when a man driving a late ’90s light green or blue Cadillac approached her.

The woman said the man grabbed her, pulled her into his car, then drove her to Jackson Ward where he raped her.

There was no indication that the victim was a VCU student or in any way associated with the university, however since the reported crime occurred near campus, the university issued the alert.

“I usually stay in well-lit areas and I don’t go any place that’s in the dark,” said VCU Junior Cory Garnett.

Police described the suspect as a dark-skinned black male in his 30s.

Anyone with information that could help investigators is urged to call Crime Stoppers at (804) 780-1000.